Matt Stone and Trey Parker take “South Park” to Hulu

Writer/creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone speak onstage at the “South Park” panel during the Hulu portion of the 2014 Summer Television Critics Association at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 12, 2014 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images)

Colorado’s bad boys Trey Parker and Matt Stone have struck a deal with Hulu. All 17 seasons of “South Park” will be available for free until the Sept. 24 premiere of the animated Comedy Central series’ 18th season.

After that, Hulu Plus subscribers will have access to the entire South Park library. Their still outrageous “South Park” will air simultaneously on SouthParkStudios.com and on Hulu. The online streaming service will have 244 episodes of the series, they announced at today’s TCA press tour in Los Angeles.

“South Park” photo provided by Comedy Central

Why Hulu?
Matt: we were first trying to figure out how to rip off their player. then realized we couldn’t.

Trey: We always want our shows to have the best presentation. In the back of our minds we were thinking about how we could partner with Hulu.”

The pair said they still write and direct every episode themselves. Reminiscing about how technology and TV have changed, both Parker and Stone marveled that their “Spirit of Christmas” was a viral video before viral videos. (It was passed around Hollywood as people copied and shared it on VHS.)

Asked about future projects, they said they are “toying with a couple of things but nothing big.” As far as keeping the creative juices flowing, “South Park” is “like working out every day. When we’re not working we’re worthless,” Stone said.

How old do they imagine their young kids need to be before they’ll let them watch?
“It’s about 10 or 12 years payback time” from their kids (each has a daughter now).

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.